Coimbatore:A predicted shortfall of 5,000 aircraft engineers in the next few years will stand any graduate of aircraft engineering in good stead in terms of starting their career, said Dr P.R. Balaji, dean, academic affairs, Nehru College of Aeronautical and Applied Sciences.
With the explosion in air travel and the need for tightly controlled safety regulations supplemented by the ongoing demands for better, more efficient and more economic aircraft, aviation graduates find themselves with a strong choice of options, he said.
“Every year, around 210 aeronautical engineers graduate from our institution in addition to the 75 aircraft maintenance engineers. As air transport is growing and at the same time aircraft and engine components are undergoing continuous improvement in terms of efficiency, material, processes and as fighter aircraft, helicopters and gas turbines for power sectors and marine require regular improvement, overhaul and maintenance, they would be in great demand,” he said.
A lot of job opportunities for aeronautical engineers are also available in countries like United States of America, France, the UK and Germany. Therefore, aeronautical or aviation engineers from India and all other parts of the world flock to these countries, he said.
CEO of Park Group of Institutions, Ms R. Anusha, however, pointed out that the mushrooming number of institutions offer a mere degree which does not meet industry standards. While on the one hand there are people without jobs in the sector, on the other, there is a huge demand for qualified technicians and pilots.
As the insititution has necessary infrastructure in terms of training, research, guidance, consultancy, classrooms, laboratory and faculty drawn from the defence, HAL, VSSC, DRDO, NAL, and IISc, its students came 19th in Los Angeles in a global-level competition competing with 54 teams from across the world.
Recently, Infosys and Spirit Global Aviation conducted an aircraft design competition and our students came first among 66 students from 13 countries, she said.
The students have been able to directly take up NASA jobs, she added. On aerospace engineering/aircraft maintenance personnel taking up work in the Middle East or southeast Asia, she said the infrastructure and policies in the Middle East have lucrative job opportunities. But a change of government policy towards the aviation sector with special reference to offset policies for defence purchases in India would be able to provide more jobs locally, Ms Anusha opined.
